Ohio State freshmen forward Joy Dunne controls the puck against No. 6 St. Lawrence. The Buckeyes swept the Saints, winning 11-0 on Nov. 24, 2023 and 5-1 on Nov. 25, 2023. Credit: Ohio State Athletics
Jessica, Jincy, Josey, Josh and James.
Now there’s Joy.
Joy Dunne, a freshman forward on the Ohio State women’s ice hockey team, is the youngest of six siblings with deep roots in the Central Ohio hockey scene. Modeled by the five who came before her, she followed in the footsteps of older sisters Jincy and Jessica when it came to wearing the Block O on her chest.
“I am just so fortunate,” Joy Dunne said. “Not even for just my siblings that went here to Ohio State, but my other ones really paved the way for me when it came to college hockey. I’ve been set up in a really good position.”
Hailing from O’Fallon, Missouri, Joy Dunne made her mark on the greater St. Louis hockey scene, playing for the AAA Lady Blues for 13 years. Even so, most of the skills she’s gathered came from playing her siblings in scratch games at home.
“During the pandemic, all of our seasons got canceled,” Joy Dunne said. “We didn’t know what to do, so we got our own ice and we skated and it was so fun. I think that just reminded me how much I love the sport.”
Half of the Dunnes being forwards and half defensemen was an added bonus, Joy Dunne said.
Joy Dunne said she’s the only woman of the Dunne kids who plays forward, as older brothers Josh and James shared the offensive roles while sisters Jincy, Jessica and Josey played the defensemen positions.
“We all talk about hockey,” Joy Dunne said. “We aren’t necessarily a goal-scoring family, but now I am a forward, so we have some scoring. Most of the family likes to stay back and play some defense, though.”
Having made Dunne a household name at the Ohio State Ice Rink, Jincy Dunne played for Ohio State from 2015 to 2020. Now, she gets to watch her younger sister excel in the same rink.
“I am just so proud of her,” Jincy Dunne said. “Being the baby of six kids, she is so tough. She works so hard and is so coachable. So, as a big sister, I am just super proud.”
The inter-family scrimmaging turned both sisters into the players they are today, Jincy Dunne said.
“She’s hard to play against,” Jincy Dunne said. “She will give me a very good run for my money and will even beat me. She uses her resources very well having grown up in a hockey family.”
Although not scoring for the first eight games of the season, Joy Dunne exploded onto the women’s college hockey stage with a hat trick against Bemidji State on Nov. 3, 2023. She followed up her performance with a one-goal, one-assist performance the next night.
With just seven goals in her entire career as a Buckeye skater, Jincy Dunne said Joy Dunne’s scoring burst in the Bemidji State series was just a matter of time.
“We all told her, ‘Don’t worry about it, Joy,’” Jincy Dunne said on the slow start before the hat trick. “She is just so good. I can say that because I’ve played against her. She has everything and all the tools she needs to be one of the best players in the world.”
Being the youngest, Joy Dunne was able to model her game against those with whom she shared a roof, something that was invaluable when it came to training, she said.
“I think what helped me the most was watching my older siblings,” Joy Dunne said. “I got to see their successes, obviously, but I also got to be behind the scenes and see their failures. Even though they did work hard, it didn’t always pay off. Having that reality check told me I really need to put in the work to be where I want to be.”
All six Dunne kids bring a different style of play to the table, a trait that makes Joy and company all the more unique when it comes to hockey, Jincy Dunne said.
“There’s six of us raised by the same parents but our styles are so different,” Jincy Dunne said. “Joy is so powerful and that is just her personality. Her personality is being strong on and off the ice.”
